1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to air conditioning units having an evaporator section and a condenser section within one unit. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus for securing electrical wires in an opening through a partition dividing an air conditioning unit into an indoor section and an outdoor section.
2. Prior Art
Air conditioning units, such as the so-called self-contained air conditioning units which are commonly used for residential and similar applications, generally include closed refrigeration circuits having an evaporator and a condenser. The unit is normally divided by a partition into an evaporator section and a condenser section, the evaporator section communicating with room air to be conditioned and the condenser section communicating with external air such as outdoor air. Refrigerant flows through a refrigeration circuit absorbing heat energy from the room air at the evaporator and discharging heat energy to the external air at the condenser. The conventional refrigeration circuit is completed by the addition of a compressor and an expansion device and the appropriate connections between the components. In the evaporator section, air is drawn through the evaporator by the evaporator fan and subsequently discharged into the room. In the evaporator, refrigerant changes state from a liquid to a gas absorbing heat energy from the room air being circulated thereover. The gaseous refrigerant from the evaporator is returned to the compressor wherein its pressure and temperature are increased. The evaporator is located in the indoor section and the compressor is located in the outdoor section. From the compressor the hot gaseous refrigerant flows through the condenser wherein it is cooled to change state from a gas to a liquid. Heat energy is discharged to the ambient air being circulated over the condenser by the condenser fan. This liquid refrigerant is then conducted through the partition dividing the unit into the indoor and outdoor section and back to the indoor coil or evaporator to complete the refrigeration circuit.
In a conventional room air conditioning unit, the condenser and compressor as well as fan motors and capacitors which are the heat discharging components of the unit are located in that portion of the unit, the outdoor section, wherein heat energy is discharged to the ambient air. The evaporator and evaporator fan are located in the indoor section of the unit for absorbing heat energy from the air to be cooled. Additionally, the controls area including temperature sensing elements is normally located within the indoor section of the unit. In a conventional room air conditioning unit, it is necessary to have refrigerant line connections between the indoor section and the outdoor section. An interconnecting line between a condenser and evaporator and a suction line between the evaporator and the compressor are both required to pass through the partition. In addition thereto, electrical wiring between the controls area in the indoor section and the electrical components in the outdoor section, such as a compressor or fan motor, must pass through the partition. With the advent of high energy costs, improving the overall performance of an air conditioning unit has achieved additional significance. One method of improving performance is reducing internal energy losses in an air conditioning unit including reducing the transfer of heat energy between the outdoor section and the indoor section of the unit. One of the modes in which this heat transfer may occur is by air leakage through the partition at the location where the wires extend through the partition.
The present invention concerns providing a partition having a wire slot through which wires extending from the controls area in the indoor section may pass to the outdoor section. A wire seal is slidably mounted to the partition and includes a body portion for blocking a portion of the partition opening to prevent air flow therethrough. In addition thereto, the wire seal includes a flange portion which extends through the opening and acts to not only compress the wires but to incline them downwardly preventing water flow from the outdoor section to the indoor section. The combination of the opening in the partition and the wire seal acts to provide an adjustable sealing arrangement for securing a variable number or variable size group of wires in an opening.